Facing the Fifth Prince's tricky question, the old fortune teller couldn't help but squint his eyes.
His mind began to ponder the clues he had gathered from the corpses over the past two days.
After the deaths of the two villagers, Wang Fugui did not touch the bodies. Instead, he called the old fortune teller over the next day.
The old fortune teller, looking at the corpse hanging from the door with grass ropes, couldn't help but frown, as this bizarre scene was also something he had encountered.
Fresh grass ropes, even if twisted to the thickness of a finger, might not be able to withstand the weight of an adult, let alone three ropes. There was definitely something fishy going on here.
When the old fortune teller used his knife to clear away the grass ropes, he discovered several black hairs inside. Under the sunlight, they instantly turned into a wisp of ash. It was clear that these hairs did not belong to a living person, otherwise they wouldn't have turned to ash when exposed to sunlight.
Given the cultivation level of the Fifth Prince before him, killing would not involve such complicated methods. Whoever could do this must have some other purpose.
Moreover, he learned from the elder that the Fifth Prince was always approachable during his lifetime and doted on the people of his fiefdom. Even in death, the possibility of him harming others was not very high.
Even ghosts were transformed from living beings. Unless they had suffered immense injustice in life, they would not become malevolent spirits. The possibility of a change in nature was very small.
The old fortune teller did not dwell too much on why the Fifth Prince had not reincarnated and continued to linger in the human world. After all, everyone had their own secrets, and pursuing too many things could lead to one's own downfall.
With a general idea forming in his mind, the old fortune teller cleared his throat.
"Fifth Prince, I think I understand your purpose. If I am mistaken, please forgive me and do not trouble these villagers."
The Fifth Prince remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Tell me what you think. If you guess correctly, I might be lenient."
"The deaths of the villagers, I believe, should have nothing to do with you, Fifth Prince. I found some hairs in the grass ropes that were used to strangle the villagers. I noticed something different about these hairs, so I believe the killer of the villagers should not be you, Fifth Prince, but someone else."
The old fortune teller paused here, his gaze fixed on the sedan chair.
At this moment, the entire courtyard was silent. The villagers had their heads buried so deep they wished they could shove them into their crotches, eager to get through this difficult night.
The temperature in the courtyard was very low, yet Wang Fugui felt extremely hot. Ever since the Fifth Prince appeared, sweat had been streaming down his face, as if he were standing in the sun during the hottest days of summer.
Looking at the silent sedan chair, the old fortune teller couldn't help but feel nervous. It would be good if he guessed correctly, but if he guessed wrong, the consequences would be unthinkable.
After an unknown amount of time, perhaps the time it took for an incense stick to burn, or perhaps half an incense stick, it felt like a year to Wang Fugui. The Fifth Prince finally spoke again, his voice still cold, giving no indication of his thoughts.
"How do you know it wasn't me who killed them?"
"Fifth Prince, perhaps you haven't noticed, but men's hair is naturally coarser and much stiffer than women's. The hairs mixed in the grass ropes were very soft, so I deduced that the killer was a woman."
"Is it possible that I sent my subordinates to do it?"
The old fortune teller shook his head. "Although I don't know which dynasty you, Fifth Prince, were born in, from the nursery rhymes passed down by that elder, I know that you, Fifth Prince, were not a cruel person in life. Even if you have changed your identity, your fundamental personality should not have changed much. Am I right?"
"Haha... You guessed that part correctly. Then tell me, why did they die?"
The old fortune teller breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "I think someone must have taken something that woman cherished the most. They were all strangled with hair, so it's likely they took something like a wooden comb or a hairpin."
*Snap, snap!*
The Fifth Prince applauded the old fortune teller again. "You guessed correctly. She was one of my concubines. Because she committed a heinous act in life, I had her executed and set up a soul-locking formation in her coffin, imprisoning her in the inner coffin for eternity. Due to the mountain flood and my prolonged slumber, I didn't notice her escape, which led to the villagers' untimely deaths. Do you think this is my fault?"
Upon hearing this, the old fortune teller quickly denied it. "Of course, this is not your fault. It's the villagers' fault. If they hadn't been greedy and opened the coffin themselves, she would never have escaped. Therefore, this matter has nothing to do with you, Fifth Prince."
Although Wang Fugui was terrified, he quickly chimed in, "It's all the villagers' greed. Please don't blame us, Fifth Prince. If this ancestral residence of mine belongs to you, Fifth Prince, we can move out right away."
"I won't bully you. Those gold ingots are for you to settle your new home. Until that slut is found, I will temporarily reside in the house. When you find her for me, I will return the house to you."
Hearing this, Wang Fugui became anxious. Half the village had been washed away, and there were only a few houses left that were habitable. If the Fifth Prince occupied his home now, where would everyone go to live?
In his anxiety, he blurted out, "Fifth Prince, if you take the house, where will we people live? You have to be reasonable..."
The old fortune teller's face changed drastically. Before he could even stop Wang Fugui from speaking, he saw Wang Fugui fly through the air, smash hard against the wall, and then fall to the ground, a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
"This is your affair. If you hadn't opened the coffin, how would this have happened? If anyone is still here tomorrow night, don't blame me for taking matters into my own hands."
...
"From then on, the old house in the west of the village became the residence of the Fifth Prince. So, if you go there, you are seeking death," the old woman said with a reminiscent look in her eyes.
After listening, I felt a chill run down my spine. With a Fifth Prince even more ferocious than Sui Wan'er in charge, it was no wonder Zhang Dabiao said that if anyone went in again, they would never come out. With such a powerful being residing there, barging in was indeed no different from seeking death.
I glanced at Zhang Dabiao beside me and saw that his face was also grim. I guessed his feelings were similar to mine.
"So, was the woman ever found?"
"Alas, where would one find her in this vast world? Moreover, the old fortune teller died the following year, so there was no further news on the matter."
After listening to Old Mrs. Wang's account, I fell into silence.
A prince who had died for who knows how many years seemed to be much more powerful than that Sui Wan'er. Was Sui Wan'er merely the Fifth Prince's concubine?
But that didn't seem right either!
According to the Fifth Prince, if his concubine was found, he would leave. If Sui Wan'er was that concubine, the Fifth Prince should have left by now. Why was he still lingering in the old house in the west of the village?
Old Ghost, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke, "What if that Fifth Prince is trapped there?"